I play the lottery, probably more than most people and I’ve been playing since Florida got the lottery back in the ’80s. Lately I’ve been pondering the associated question of ‘What would I do if I won the lottery?’ and a lot of the things I used to wish for I no longer need or want or I can just go out and buy. The list is shorter.

But there is another list, the list of things I have and am grateful for:

  • Underwear. This was my first realization. I was putting away clean laundry when I came across a pair of shorts that were starting to show wear and tear, some holes and thin spots; I THREW THEM AWAY. I just up and threw them away. Sure they were still wearable but see, I had bought two packages of underwear at Sam’s Club plus the shorts I already had gave me more than two weeks worth so I didn’t need to see how much longer I could stretch their lives, I could just throw them away. I want to point out that this doesn’t really cost much money but it is a frame of mind kind of change.
  • Another similar wealth is cat bowls; we have a lot of cats and we need a bowl each. I happened upon smallish stainless steel bowls at the Dollar Tree store so I bought enough for each cat and that was cool. Then I would be pressed to collect them all up at once, wash them in time to feed them next meal. So to maximize the luxury I bought (they cost ONLY a dollar each) more, like so we have two bowls per cat and a few odd ones. Now I am relaxed about the cleaning of cat bowls, peace of mind and it didn’t really cost that much.
  • We paid off our house last year. Wow, that is a weight off our shoulders. Now all we have to pay is taxes (and insurance if we want).
  • Two newish Mazdas in Soul Crystal Red; a CX-5 and a 3. They are both 2018 models so look like little brother / big brother versions of each other. To see the two of them in the driveway is awesome.
  • We have a nice TV, it was top-of-the-line LG, 65 inch. Sure there are bigger ones, maybe a bit brighter but not much. We have a Amazon Prime and Disney+ and Netflix so there is more than enough content to watch all day long if we were in such a frame of mind. And it is good stuff tool.
  • I have memberships or passes to several venues and that relieves the burden of ‘how much does this cost?’ when deciding what to do or where to go. I have an hour to kill; I’ll run down to the gun range and shoot up some targets. I have several hours to kill; we’ll take in a movie. Is it a nice day? Go to Busch Gardens for an hour or two. With the pass at the Range and Gardens I don’t have to try to fit everything in all at once, I can relax and enjoy myself without having marching orders.
  • We live in Florida, F-L-O-R-I-D-A. People visit from all over the world to enjoy our sugar sand beaches and callm, warm waters.
  • The modern/current technology gives us treasures unthinkable when I was a child. Let’s not talk about the computing of my smartphone but how about light bulbs; we used to use 100W bulbs that rendered most of that wattage as infrared (just plain heat). I have a floor stand lamp in my office that sports four bulbs, it is only rated for 60W due to the plastic components melting but I have 75W equivalent bulbs that only consume 10W and none of that is heat. I don’t have to expend air conditioning to offset the heat generated by my lighting. Ahhh.
  • Location, location, location. I love where I live. I live in a fantastic neighborhood with sidewalks on both sides of the street, three private parks (only residents are allowed), and shady trees lining the streets. There are a dozen places to eat within walking distance from home including a Carrabbas and an Outback Steakhouse, and three convenience stores and two Publix stores within a five minute drive. There are 24-hour Walmarts within ten minutes to the north or the south and fifteen minutes to the east or west. My house is comfortable and more than spacious enough for us (including cats).